DIY Lighting: Flush Mount Glass Bubble Chandelier

I’ve been dreaming of a glass bubble chandelier over my bathtub for a lot of months now, and I lastly have it. This can be a DIY gentle that I made myself, and I did that for 2 causes. First, I needed a big flush mount bubble gentle, and people are nearly inconceivable to seek out. However the primary motive is that I didn’t need the precise ornamental a part of the chandelier to have any electrical energy working to it. I do know that unusual, proper?

The rationale for that’s as a result of that is going over my bathtub, and it’s towards constructing code to place a chandelier over a bath. So I needed to get just a little artistic with this and discover a solution to get the look of a chandelier with out the ornamental components that grasp under the ceiling being wired. In different phrases, an individual may stand in my bathtub full of water and contact any a part of my chandelier, and it wouldn’t shock them as a result of my chandelier is nothing greater than a ceiling mounted ornament hanging round a recessed gentle. The recessed gentle gives the sunshine, however it isn’t linked in any solution to the ornamental a part of the chandelier.

So right here’s how my DIY glass bubble chandelier turned out…

And right here’s the entire view with the tub, the mural, and the chandelier (with an unfinished wall on the left facet)…

And once more, all of these glass bubbles are hanging round a recessed gentle, which does work, and does present gentle by means of all of these glass bubbles. Right here’s what it appears to be like like when that recessed gentle is turned on and the opposite recessed lights are turned off…

It’s such a fairly glow of sunshine, which is the right quantity of ambient gentle once I need to take a bubble tub at night time.

So let me present you the way I made this DIY glass bubble gentle.

First, I began with a ceiling medallion. I bought this one from Wayfair, and I chosen the vintage brass end and the 24-inch measurement.

As you possibly can see, the colour of the one I obtained is nothing like the colour of the vintage brass medallion on the Wayfair web site, though the one I obtained was labeled “vintage brass” on the again. Oh properly. That’s nothing that a few coats of spray paint can’t repair. That is the spray paint I used…

That spray paint was good, and I had an ideal vintage gold medallion…

Right here’s a take a look at the sunshine above the tub. As you possibly can see, it’s only a regular recessed gentle, and I had it wired on a separate change from the opposite recessed lights within the room.

To put in the medallion, I used washers, 2-inch screws, and drywall anchors to screw the medallion onto the ceiling by means of the small holes. I didn’t screw them tight to the ceiling at this level. I left them a bit free in order that I may connect the shape onto which the glass bubbles could be hung.

And the shape that I used was a flower basket that I discovered on Amazon.

I deliberate this chandelier again in December of final yr (2021). That’s once I purchased the entire “bubbles” (that are frosted glass Christmas ornaments), however I questioned for a very long time precisely how I used to be going to connect the entire bubbles. Then sooner or later a few months in the past, I noticed an Instagram reel from Chris Loves Julia of their bubble chandelier (which value about $2500) being put in and put collectively, and once I noticed the shape to which these glass bubbles have been hooked up, I believed, “Oh my gosh! That appears precisely like a dangling flower basket!”

In order that’s precisely what I used. And I simply hooked up it to the ceiling medallion utilizing zip ties, which yow will discover within the electrical division of the large field house enchancment shops. Merely zip tie the hanging flower basket to the ceiling medallion, reduce off the surplus, after which tighten up the screws the remainder of the best way in order that the ceiling medallion is cosy towards the ceiling. Then I simply used some gold acrylic paint that I had readily available to color these screws and washers earlier than transferring on to the following step.

Subsequent, I used customary measurement frosted glass Christmas ornaments (about 2.5″) across the high of the basket. I simply used the little hangers that come on the ornaments to connect them to the wire basket in order that they might be as shut as doable.

After which I continued with one other row, after which one other, to cowl as a lot of the wire basket as doable.

As soon as I had the basket lined up shut, then I began including the massive 4-inch ornaments. Once more, I purchased these final Christmas at Interest Foyer after they have been all on sale. (I’d solely suggest shopping for them on sale in the course of the Christmas season, as a result of if you must buy them within the off season, you’ll pay a ridiculous value for them.)

To hold the massive ornaments, I used some 12-gauge craft wire that I purchased at Michael’s…

Utilizing my needle nostril pliers which have a wire cutter on them, I reduce the wire to 4-inch lengths, and shaped one finish right into a loop that hooked onto the ornaments.

As soon as they have been hooked up, I squeezed the loop collectively to carry it securely onto the decoration.

After which, nonetheless utilizing my needle nostril pliers, I shaped the opposite finish right into a hook that will connect to the wire basket.

As soon as I hooked every giant decoration onto the wire basket, I used my needle nostril pliers to squeeze the hook in order that it wouldn’t slip off of the wire basket. I received’t lie. This was simpler stated that achieved, particularly as the sunshine turned increasingly crammed up with bubbles, and it turned a really tight squeeze to get my pliers in between all of these ornaments. However I did my finest, and it took an entire lot of endurance, however I lastly received all of them hooked up.

In all, I used 34 of the massive ornaments to create the entire chandelier. The ceiling medallion is 24 inches in diameter, so that provides you an thought concerning the measurement.

I’m fairly darn enthusiastic about the way it turned out. It really turned out a lot better than I had envisioned, and it matches the wants of this area. It hugs the ceiling, and since these ornamental components aren’t linked to electrical energy in any respect, there’s no constructing code violation in any respect. However I nonetheless get that fairly chandelier look above my bathtub.

And talking of tub, right here’s the view from beneath. That is the view that I get of the sunshine as I take a shower within the tub.

And right here’s the opposite route…

I’m significantly so pleased with how this turned out.

Right here’s the entire view. Please disregard the unfinished partitions in the remainder of the room. 🙂

And listed below are a few nearer photos. I attempted to get the tap and the chandelier in a single view…

It turned out fairly nice, proper? I like it!

I really suppose my little DIY glass bubble chandelier is a lot better than the one I had in my authentic mock up of the room, which was one from Pottery Barn (I believe).

Once more, right here’s how the chandelier appears to be like when the sunshine is turned on. It’s such a fairly glow. That is with the opposite lights turned on as properly…

And that is with the opposite lights turned off…

Right here’s the complete view of the sunshine turned on with the opposite recessed lights turned off…

That’s fairly good for a DIY bubble gentle, proper? I had tried the bubble gentle with out the medallion earlier than (which you’ll see right here), however I wasn’t actually liking it. That’s why I thought of another choices, like tinting the bubbles a shade to distinction with the ceiling.

However in the long run, all it wanted was a medallion, and this one specifically was instructed by a commenter on a earlier publish. I believe it’s good! And because of that medallion, the unique frosted bubbles turned out to be good. I like that they form of give the sensation of a cloud above the bathtub.